


An Altus's Familiar

by hinotoriii



Series: Oscar Trevelyan [13]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-13
Updated: 2015-06-13
Packaged: 2018-04-04 06:33:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4128384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hinotoriii/pseuds/hinotoriii
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After a surprise Venatori attack in the Hissing Wastes; Bull, Sera, Oscar and Dorian find an injured fennec fox. One thing of which they forgot to account for upon taking it back to camp was Dorian's fondness for such creatures. Oscar finds himself facing the very real possibility that they'll end up with another, somewhat unusual member joining them on their journey back to Skyhold.</p>
            </blockquote>





	An Altus's Familiar

**Author's Note:**

> Written as a promise of fluff after hurting some friends with the latest chapters of [Herald's Miracle](https://archiveofourown.org/works/3832855) (and to remind them that Oscar and Dorian _do_ end up as a happy couple).
> 
> It's silly and slightly daft, but hopefully will manage to make people smile all the same :)

"That's the last of them boss."  
  
Oscar pulls his staff out of where it sits embedded within the body of a fallen Venatori soldier, shaking off some of the excess blood which clings to the small blade attached to the end as he straightens and turns to face where Bull stands close by. Beside the large Qunari he notices Sera, who’s busy counting the number of arrows which she carries in her hand. The three of them are covered in a mixture of dirt, dust and blood; yet now that the fighting they had so suddenly been thrown into is finally over Oscar finds it is the perfect opportunity to catch his breath once more.  
  
"Talk about wandering around in the middle of nowhere," he says, rubbing a gloved hand over his sweaty forehead as he lets out a sigh. "There's not even been any sightings or reports of one of their camps stationed around here, surely they couldn't travelled this far by foot though."  
  
"Not bloody likely," Sera replies with a scoff. "There's probably one hidden in a cave or ruin or something not far from here, yeah? Scouts could have missed it. _My_ guess is those Venatori-whatsits were out patrolling."  
  
"A patrol that obviously went badly for them, seeing as they weren't expecting to run into us."  
  
Oscar huffs out a small laugh at Bull's comment, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips as he shakes his head from the truth of the words.

The smile freezes suddenly however, before falling from his face altogether. Oscar begins to search around them, a heavy frown forming upon his brow as worry begins to creep its way within his thoughts. A sensation of coldness begins to creep down Oscar’s spine, tingling in its wake as it slowly travels throughout every corner of his body.   
  
"Where is Dorian?"  
  
As if on queue the mage in question makes a distressed sound from not far off, causing three heads to turn towards its direction. Oscar’s eyes widen as he recognises the form of Dorian crouching upon the sandy dunes with his back facing them, the coldness he felt moments before seemingly growing and freezing his heart in it’s place. He doesn’t waste a second in hurrying to the other man's side, his mind consumed with the possibilities of Dorian being badly injured, or having been struck by a curse that one of the Venatori mages had cast his way whilst battling --

\-- what Oscar does not account for is the sight of Dorian appearing completely unharmed once he reaches him. His attention is pulled towards something lying upon the sand before him, and after getting over his own initial shock Oscar turns his now somewhat bewildered attention towards whatever Dorian is looking at. It quickly becomes clear to him what it is that has likely happened and what he is now seeing, and from it Oscar feels both exasperation and relief wash over him. With an irritated roll of his eyes Oscar sighs, the tension which had been forming in his shoulders relaxing at knowing Dorian is alright.

“Maker be damned Dorian, _again?_ ”

He speaks with an irritation leaking it’s way into his voice, and as Sera and Bull stand just a little way from them both Oscar rests a hand upon his own hip, his grip on his staff tightening in the other.

“Here I thought you were hurt or in some sort of danger, yet you’ve been sitting here perfectly fine, mourning over how one of your lightning spells have struck down yet _another_ fennec fox?!”

“For your information it was a spell cast by one of those Venatori mages that the fox was struck with, not my own,” Dorian answers, shooting a quick glare over his shoulder in response to Oscar’s accusations. “As well as that, I am not _mourning_ anything. The fox isn’t dead. It is merely injured.”

Oscar lets out another heavy sigh, shaking his head furiously as he does so. He doesn’t say anything, instead silently moving to crouch by Dorian’s side. His eyes scan over Dorian then, making sure that there are no cuts and scrapes he is otherwise missing or that Dorian is not telling him about. Besides the odd blood spatter and smudge of dirt he spots nothing life threatening, and it’s enough to once again relax all of Oscar’s worries.

“I’m just glad you’re okay,” Oscar eventually says, before letting out a heavy breath and turning to glance at the injured fennec. “What do you propose we do about the fox?”

“Can I offer a suggestion?” Interrupts Bull. Both Oscar and Dorian turn to him, and Oscar gives him a nod as he rises onto his feet once more.

“Of course, Bull. What is it?”

“I say we cook it.”

“You’re not serious,” Sera says from beside him, looking at Bull with something akin to disgust at the mere suggestion he's presented them all with.

“But I am,” Answers Bull, looking towards her and back at Oscar and Dorian. “Don’t tell me I’m not the only one fed up with that soup whenever we eat at the camp? Maybe this is the perfect opportunity for us to have a meal with some actual meat in it again.”

“You _have_ seen a fennec before, right? ‘Cause they’re not exactly the most meaty animals. There’s hardly anything on ‘em!”

“Have you seen anything else to eat around here?” Bull asks Sera, stretching his arms out slightly and gesturing around him. “ _Besides_ the sand?”

“Regardless of what there is to eat and not eat --” Dorian begins, causing the three to turn their attention towards where he sits again. “-- We are _not_ cooking the fox. Did you happen to miss the part where I said it’s _not dead?_ ”

“Well, how injured is it? Perhaps if it’s too badly hurt it would be kinder to put it out of it’s misery already --”

“Woah! Alright, alright, hold on there,” Oscar interrupts, placing a hand on Bull’s arm as he starts to lift his war hammer. He looks between Dorian and Bull, noticing how the fox is now gathered within Dorian’s arms as he glares darkly towards Bull.   
  
“We’re not going to kill the fox, okay?”

Dorian’s expression doesn’t change, however as Oscar turns back to Bull it is just in time to catch him shrug, lowering his weapon back to his side and allowing Oscar to slowly remove his hand.

“It’s your call, boss.”

“We’ll find something better for you to eat, horns,” says Sera. “I bet there’s rams or something around here. There’s gotta be, right?”

“If you manage to find one, you let me know.”

Leaving Sera and Bull to their conversation, Oscar turns his attention back towards Dorian. He knows that if it weren’t for the small creature curled in his arms Dorian would have moved to stand up by now, unwilling to gather more of the dusty and coarse sand upon his clothes. With a concerned frown Dorian gently strokes his fingers through the creature's fur, and Oscar picks up on a small whimpering sound that the fox makes.

“What do you want to do with the fox, Dorian?” He asks again, tone calmer than it had been when he first asked. Dorian glances up at him briefly, meeting his eyes for a second before returning to watch over the fennec.

“I think she was mostly shocked by the spell that struck her. There’s a small injury to her leg, but otherwise I think she’ll be fine,” Oscar hears Dorian let out a sigh, looking up at him again as he continues speaking. “She’s young, and the rest of her family scattered off when the mage’s spell hit against the sand and sparked. I’m sure if we bring her back to camp someone could patch her up. Make her good as new once more.”

Oscar smiles sadly at Dorian’s compassion, watching as he continues to pet the fox gently on the head.

“Young fennecs don’t often survive long separated from their family, Dorian,” Oscar replies, trying to keep his words gentle despite what it is he is speaking of. “There’s no guarantee that if we were to heal her we could find her family and return her to them.”

“Well, we can focus on the details of what to do after she’s healed later. Is it not better to try and help rather than leaving the poor creature to her pain? Or worse,” Oscar notices Dorian turn a glare in Bull’s direction once again, and he shakes his head as he tries not to let out a laugh at it. He understands Dorian's reasoning, to the point that he finds himself agreeing with what it is he says.

“Alright, we’ll see what it is we're able to do.”

* * *

Thankfully, when they return to the nearest Inquisition campsite Vivienne is present there. She is confused at first when the fox is presented to her, but offers to help tend to the animal and check over it more thoroughly. At Dorian’s relieved smile Oscar leaves them both alone, instead finding some of their soldiers and instructing them to be on the lookout for any nearby Venatori campsites hidden within the ruins and odd caves scattered around the perimeter.

The rest of the evening passes as usual. Oscar sits by the fire after they’ve all eaten and reads over scout reports in the area for any new signs of odd behaviour and threats they need to be wary of. Bull remains unsettled at having to make do with butter soup for yet another night in a row, and understanding well enough how much the Qunari loves his more substantial and fulfilling meals, Oscar promises that they will try and find something they can cook for the following night’s meal when they move out once again the next day. It’s a promise which Bull seems to be content in accepting.

Oscar doesn’t see the fennec after he leaves it with Vivienne and Dorian, and almost forgets about it as he grows more involved with his work. It is not until the sky has grown dark like midnight above them and he decides to retire that he is reminded of it, and even then it is not for a reason he is particularly fond of.

When he enters the tent he shares with Dorian Oscar is quick to throw his coat to one side, leaving it in its spot until he needs to find it again the next morning. He stretches his arms above his head, coming to a stop however as something unusual catches his eye. Lowering his arms back by his sides again he turns to the selection of furs he uses when the air is at its coldest, and notices that it has apparently become a home to something else since he’s been otherwise occupied.

There, curled into a small, tight ball fast asleep lays the fennec fox. Hidden by the way its tail wraps around her tiny body he notices the small little bandage which has been wrapped around her injured leg, and although he would admit to himself in the safety of his own mind that the sight before him is rather adorable, Oscar does not understand why it is the fennec is using his furs for a bed.

As if on cue Dorian steps into the tent, and Oscar’s attention pulls from the fox towards him. Dorian offers him a smile, one which Oscar does not immediately return. Instead his eyebrows raise, and he provides Dorian with a questioning look.

"Why is the fennec sleeping in our tent, Dorian?"

Oscar watches as Dorian's smile falters slightly. He grows slightly nervous, if the way he reaches up to rub at the back of his neck is any indication, and Dorian's gaze begins to float around the room, looking anywhere but at Oscar for a long moment as he begins to respond.

"Ah, yes. I figured you may ask about that," he says, huffing out a breath before moving to step further into the little space they have. Dorian goes to sit down upon the patch upon the ground which is made up of blankets, furs and a few pillows, beginning to remove his shoes. "You see, after Vivienne saw to her injuries and well being, she suggested that I find somewhere for the fox to rest after the stress she would have gone through today. At first I was rather lost of where she could stay and remain out of harm's way, but then I realised that she would most likely be content here."

Dorian pauses, stopping to look towards the sleeping ball with a lazy smile upon his face.

"It appears I wasn't wrong."

Oscar somewhat sees the smile Dorian gave the creature as a sign, a sign of something that he should have expected before he had agreed they take the fox in for healing. He knew very well of Dorian's fondness towards fennecs, and for a brief moment feels an edge of concern creep its way within his thoughts at where this conversation is heading.

"Why my furs though?" Oscar asks, sitting down on the other side of the makeshift bed from Dorian. He watches as Dorian continues to shed his clothing, preparing to retire himself for the night. "She could have been resting on yours."

Dorian simply shrugs a shoulder in response to the question. It was as if the thought hadn't even sprung to his mind; and Oscar knew the likelihood was it  probably hadn't.

“She seemed content and comfortable there, and I do not have it in myself to move her while she sleeps so soundly,” Dorian says. “She’s no trouble, _amatus_. Truly. She’s been curled up there for hours and has barely moved an inch. If you were to ask me, I’m sure that’s where she’ll stay for the rest of the night.”

Oscar lets out a heavy sigh, dropping his gaze to stare down at his marked hand.

"Are you, by any chance, planning to keep her?" He asks.

There's a slight hesitation in the response he receives, and if Oscar didn't know Dorian as well as he did, he would have thought it was due to how he had moved to slide himself beneath the blankets. Yet he knows that truly the reason is down to Dorian buying time to think about his answer, and Oscar senses that it is one which reveals a vulnerability and openness which Dorian is still struggling to adjust to.

"I can’t lie and say that I’m not considering the idea. It's not a terrible one if I am however, is it?" Dorian eventually answers. Before Oscar can speak he continues, the words rushing from his mouth as if by doing so will help in his attempt to convince Oscar that his idea is a sound one. "You said yourself that she might not survive on her own without the family of fennecs she had been with, and there really is very slim a chance we'll realistically be able to find them again with how many are running around. Not to mention she isn't going to grow much bigger in size anyway, so there's no worry she'll eventually be able to terrorise all of Skyhold and single handedly cause it to descend into manic chaos."

"Not unless she manages to somehow gather the mounts on her side for such a smart and crafty plan. _Then_ we may have a problem," Oscar jokes, turning towards Dorian again and smiling his way.

He notices the way Dorian looks back at him in return. He is hopeful, something which is rare to see from the mage, and Oscar almost swears he can feel the exact moment in which the look pulls him in under its spell. He lets go of the little restraint he even had to begin with and gives in, shaking his head as he lifts his arms up and starts to remove the top he’s wearing.

"Fine, fine. You can keep the fox. Just let it be understood now that you'll be the one to make sure Bull doesn't get any more ideas about cooking it if we can't find any ram for tomorrow’s meal."

"What, truly?” Oscar hears Dorian ask. “You’re being serious?"

Sensing the astonishment present in Dorian’s questions Oscar glances another look back towards him, sharing another warm smile in Dorian’s direction. He begins to move, slowly crawling beside where Dorian is, making sure to maintain eye contact as he does.

"Truly, Dorian. How can I refuse when the animal makes you smile so much?"

Leaning a little over him, Oscar leans down to press his lips against Dorian’s forehead tenderly. For a moment Oscar realises he's managed to render Dorian speechless once again, a feat which he secretly reveals in. As he slowly begins to move away afterwards Dorian quickly reaches for Oscars cheek, pulling him down again so that he could kiss him properly. Their lips move against one another’s slowly once they meet, carrying all the tenderness from before within it, and once the kiss grows lazier between them both Oscar notices how Dorian’s actions change to press quick, nibbling kisses rather than moving away completely. Oscar breathes out a laugh eventually, breaking away so that he can once again take in the way Dorian smiles up at him.

"I've never had a pet before, you know?" says Dorian, returning back to the conversation they were having. Oscar sits up completely for a brief second, pulling the blankets on his own side down so that he can slide beneath them and lay next to Dorian. "Did you?"

"You mean did I have any before my days in the Circle?" Oscar asks. He leans back against his pillow, letting out a contented sigh as he closes his eyes. Even without seeing him, he can still feel how Dorian watches him while he replies. "When I was really young we used to have a mabari in the family house. I don’t remember much what it was like, yet I do remember Stephan adoring the old thing. He was always getting told off for rolling around in the mud with it whenever he wasn’t with Johanna or I. Stephan shut himself in his room for days when it eventually died.”

Oscar rolled onto his side, opening his eyes once more as he stared back at Dorian. With a slightly mischievous smile he reached forward to poke Dorian’s nose lightly.

“If you’re really going to keep the fox, it might be a good idea for you to talk to our Tranquil back at Skyhold. I imagine she’ll have some ideas on how to best look after her.”

Dorian scoffs at the suggestion, frowning as he reaches to pull Oscar’s hand away from his face, instead interlinking their fingers together.

“I’m offended that you haven’t thought I might already know a thing or two about them.”

“With how much you read? I wouldn’t be at all surprised. It’s just … something to consider if you’re not sure.”

“It’s a fox, _amatus_ ,” Dorian says, pulling Oscar closer into his side. “How difficult can looking after one be?”

* * *

The next morning as everyone prepares to head out for another day ahead, Oscar notices that Dorian is not alone as he organises the potions for his potions belt.

From where he sits before the burnt out fire pit, not far from his side also sits the fox. Her head is tilted to one side as she appears to watch Dorian, her tail silently swaying back and forth. It’s a sight that causes Oscar to smile behind the map he reads from, and as he continues to watch Dorian turn to talk to the small creature, he knows that agreeing to let him keep the fox was probably one of his better ideas as of late.

At least it now also gave Dorian something new to fuss over whenever Oscar was busy with his duties.


End file.
